


The Young Pirate

by My_Alter_Ego



Category: White Collar (TV 2009)
Genre: Gen, Old cases, References to Season 1 Episode “All In”, Renewing Old Acquaintances and Making New Ones, movies - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:35:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27991611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Alter_Ego/pseuds/My_Alter_Ego
Summary: Neal is not very enthusiastic when a new case entails bootleg copies of movie DVDs. However, with a little bit of digging, the young conman finds himself returning to a time when he and Peter had just started their partnership, and new details prove disturbing.
Relationships: Neal Caffrey & Mozzie, Peter Burke & Neal Caffrey
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	The Young Pirate

“You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel if you’re resorting to a case of digital pirating,” Neal complains to Peter one afternoon at the FBI White Collar office.

“Fraud is fraud, Neal,” Peter justifies their new focus. “The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted material is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement falls under our purview and is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Neal snorts, “I see the FBI’s ominous seal and its anti-piracy warning every time I start watching a movie on my tv set. It’s very annoying when I can’t fast forward through all that malarkey. But c’mon, Peter, it really is a victimless ‘crime,’ in my estimation.”

“There are, indeed, victims,” Peter insists. “The movie production companies are being defrauded out of their royalties, so that’s theft in my book.”

Neal is still cynical and resorts to sarcasm. “So, I guess every time some female admirer decides to buy a Chinese bootleg copy of _Magic Mike_ or a socially conscious person wants a copy of _The Normal Heart_ , they’re depriving a big time movie mogul of another case of Dom Perignon champagne.”

“Think bigger picture, Buddy,” Peter insists. “We’re not talking a small cottage industry, but rather criminal rings operating around the United States and beyond its borders. Let me give you a capsule view of how it all went down a few years ago, and then I’ll clue you in to the modern day version of movie pirating.”

“I’m all ears,” Neal said mockingly as he rolled his eyes. This was really dull stuff in his opinion, but Peter soldiered on anyway, ignoring his CI’s look of disdainful boredom.

“Now, Neal, if you were to desire something you can hold in your hand and play over and over or loan to someone else, that would be a DVD. To replicate a movie in that format, all you would need is the expertise to crack the encrypted codes that are supposed to make it impossible for the DVDs to be copied. Apparently, that’s not too difficult for gifted techies, and in the last decade it was rather commonplace—so commonplace, that buyers worldwide didn’t envision themselves really breaking the law when they purchased a duplicate.”

“I can see where they would make that naïve assumption,” Neal agreed. “Watching a movie you got at a street fair doesn’t exactly make you feel like John Dillinger.”

“Don’t interrupt!” Peter shushed his partner. “I’m not finished with the last decade’s scenario yet. Now, I’ll start close to home. Canada, our northern neighbor, in particular, has always been a hotbed for movie piracy. In 2013, Ontario police seized 75,000 illegal copies of some current blockbusters and rounded up at least a dozen suspects. Profit—$21 million for the bad guys.

And let us not forget our neighbors to the South. Mexican drug cartels have morphed into full-scale mafias, running extortion and protection rackets and trafficking everything from people to pirated DVDs. In 2011, when hundreds of Mexican police crashed through the doors of some mysterious warehouses, they uncovered one of the largest illegal manufacturing centers of pirated movies and music ever found in Latin America. Picture 12 tons of movie discs.

More recently, in 2018, a Senegalese man was collared and admitted his role as a high volume seller in a conspiracy to produce and traffic millions of pirated DVDs and CDs in the southeastern US. He operated out of Atlanta, and it was suspected that he was channeling funds to a terrorist organization. Homeland Security got involved at that point.”

Neal finally concedes a point after Peter’s long-winded lecture. “I guess I should be impressed by the magnitude of these ‘crimes,’ but it certainly lacks the grace and elegance of a good art heist,” he adds.

“Forgery is forgery,” Peter says evenly, “whether it’s a Chagall or _Sonic the Hedgehog_. But now it’s a new era with new challenges. Streaming is the name of the game. Watching a movie on your television or laptop via Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime is all well and good. You pay a subscription price for that privilege. However, if you somehow manage to transfer that digital data and make it available to others, that is a Federal crime. Some shady characters actually made a very lucrative living out of it just last year in Las Vegas.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Neal mumbled. “If there’s a way to work a scam, Sin City is the place.”

Peter ignored the comment and continued. “A group of individuals out West set up their own illegitimate streaming enterprise and sold subscriptions. They used sophisticated computer programming to scour global pirate sites for illegal content and used VPN services and proxies to hide their IP addresses from the government and legitimate internet service providers. Users could download tens of thousands of unauthorized copyrighted television programs to their smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, video game consoles, and digital media players. Eventually, a total of eight people were charged with conspiring to violate federal criminal copyright law which resulted in the loss of millions of dollars by television program and film copyright owners.”

“Okay, enough is enough—I get your drift,” Neal sighs. “Have you gotten a heads up that a band of similar nefarious gangsters are currently operating within the borders of our fair city? If so, then let me get into the proper frame of mind so that I can quiver in anticipation.”

“Your snarky attitude is duly noted,” Peter replies with a frown. “And to answer your question—yes, we’ve picked up recent chatter that somebody may have set up shop down near Canal Street. Everything is a bit vague at this point, so we’re still operating in the dark. From what we know so far, it seems to be an individual rather than a gang, but we haven’t nailed that down yet as hard fact. If it is one individual, statistics profile the average film copyright thief as male, between the ages of 16 and 24, living in an urban area. College students in the United States contribute to most to our country's individual losses. The 16 to 24 age range represents a disproportionately high percentage of film, software and movie pirates, especially through the Internet. In the US they represent 71% of downloaders.”

“So, we’re bringing out the big guns to go game hunting for what could be small fry,” Neal says drolly. “This whole new snipe hunt makes me want to perform a cleverly stupendous caper right under your nose, Peter. That way we can get back to baseline and more interesting things.”

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that, Buddy,” Peter says with a glower. “Just cowboy up and get with the program. We’re going to do some recon tomorrow morning.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Canal Street in Lower Manhattan is a mixture of interesting neighborhoods. Stores, individual vendors, even open-air markets hawk their wares along busy streets delineating ethnic enclaves that have come to be known as Little Italy and Chinatown and end in bohemian SoHo. That was going to be the starting point of Peter’s investigation. Standing out like a sore thumb in his Brooks Brothers suit, he questioned pedestrians on the street and shop owners about anyone they knew who may be a source for bootleg DVDs. All that got him was blank stares, unintelligible polyglot responses, and contemptuous attitudes.

“Well, that was a bust,” Peter complained to Neal as they got back in the car. “But my gut says that when everybody acts so indifferent, there’s definitely something they’re hiding.”

“You want to know what my gut is telling me?” Neal asks. “It’s telling me I missed lunch and I’m hungry. Why don’t we stop at Mr. Twan’s restaurant. Remember—he was little Bai’s father and his place served the best Chinese dumplings.”

“Right, right,” Peter thinks back, “we were going after that Asian gangster with the protection racket who liked to play Pai Gow.”

“Very good, Peter,” Neal smirks. “The old brain cells are still firing, so senility hasn’t set in quite yet.”

Peter let that pass because he also recalled how during that case a deceptive government agent named Meilin Wan had almost derailed the early relationship between handler and CI. She had planted the seeds of distrust in Neal’s mind when she told him that the FBI was holding Kate. Peter definitely didn’t want to revisit those issues.

Twan looked exactly the same and he certainly remembered Peter and his partner. Neal was especially delighted to behold young Bai when she came out of the kitchen. The once cute little ponytailed girl was in the process of transforming into a lovely and quite enchanting young woman. Barely a tween, she still giggled and liked magic tricks, and Neal graciously entertained her with more sleight of hand antics. Peter kept touching his inner coat pocket to make sure his wallet was still there.

“You have to teach me how to do magic,” she begged prettily, and Neal promised he’d stop back soon to do the honors.

~~~~~~~~~~

Neal was as good as his word. That sunny weekend he met Bai in Washington Square Park and began her lesson. She was a quick study, but like any immature adolescent, her attention leapfrogged all over the place. It was entertaining to listen to her bubbling enthusiastic patter as she told Neal about boys, movies, and books that she liked, in that order.

“So, do you go to the neighborhood cinemas to see a lot of movies?” Neal asked offhandedly.

“No, silly, that would be way too expensive. I watch all the latest releases on DVD,” she laughed.

“Even while they’re still being shown in theaters?” Neal asked.

“Sure, it’s real easy to buy a cheap copy, and then you can watch it over and over if you’re really into it,” she told him. “My girlfriends and I get together all the time and have binge fests during our sleepover parties.”

“So, if I wanted to buy a current movie on DVD, where would I get it?” Neal asked innocently.

“Oh, just tell me which one you want and I’ll add it to the list,” Bai said breezily. “The seller takes orders, so that’s what everybody does around here. The sound and picture quality are topnotch, and even customers from uptown as far as Park Avenue come all the way down here to pick up their list of flicks.”

Neal managed to look intrigued. “Well, I’m not sure what movie I may want. Does this fellow have an actual store with inventory. Maybe if you took me there I’ll see one that I might want to buy,” Neal encouraged the child to be more forthcoming.

Neal’s request sent the young girl into another fit of giggles. “He doesn’t have a real store; he makes them at home. We can go there if you want, but I’m not sure what he still has left.”

“Let’s do it,” Neal pushed, hoping he wasn’t walking into a dangerous situation with a naïve and trusting girl by his side.

Once they were back in Chinatown, Bai led Neal to a set of cement steps nestled beneath an herbalist’s shop with an assortment of mortar and pestles and colored granules in plastic pouches displayed in the window. She knocked on a red door which was opened by an old, stooped Chinese woman in a colorful kimono. Neal didn’t understand a word of the back and forth, but after the exchange, Bai took Neal’s hand and led him along a narrow hallway and then through a beaded curtain to a small bedroom filled with boxes, two computers, and various digital apparatuses. Neal expected to see some tough-looking goon giving him a suspicious glare, but instead, he was surprised to see a skinny boy, probably no older than twelve or thirteen, seated in a wheelchair looking up at him curiously.

“Neal, this is my friend, Joey Chiu,” Bai did the honors.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir,” the Chinese lad said politely. “If you’re a friend of Bai’s, then you’re my friend, too.”

“It’s my pleasure,” Neal said just as earnestly. “So, Bai tells me you have a little side business making movie DVDs.”

“Yes, Sir, I do,” Joey replied proudly. “My work is all primo quality and a bargain at just $4 per DVD. But by the looks of your expensive clothes, I’ll just bet you own a smart tv and can stream. I have also created my own streaming service that I call, _Young Pirate,_ and you pay just a onetime fee of $20, and that lets you watch as many movies or tv shows as you want for as long as you want.”

“That sounds like a very enterprising and ambitious undertaking,” Neal said slowly. “But I guess I’m old school, so maybe I’ll just buy a DVD today. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Well, maybe the latest Oscar winner,” the boy said as he shrugged his shoulders. “It seems like that’s the one in demand right now, so I have a few on hand if you’d wanna buy today. Don’t feel bad about being a bit of a dinosaur, Sir. Most older people haven’t turned to streaming yet, and in a lot of neighborhoods, people can’t afford to add it to their cable subscriptions.”

Neal worked hard to keep his expression neutral after being termed an extinct fossil. It seemed that in young minds today, entering your thirties had you headed straight for the bone heap of antiquity. “Why don’t we just go with your suggestion, Joey,” he said while pulling a five from his billfold and passing it over to the youthful entrepreneur. “Keep the change.”

“I know you’ll be back again, so we can apply that dollar to your next purchase,” the kid smiled. “I can make anything you’d like to see. What’s your favorite genre?”

Neal chatted with his new acquaintance for a little while about actors, special effects, and CGI. He learned that Joey was a science fiction and fantasy buff who was only too happy to give animated critiques of the _Star Wars_ and _Star Trek_ series. Neal agreed that he’d come back one day for a visit so they could dissect episodes of _Game of Thrones_. Once Neal and Bai were again back on the street, Neal had some questions for her. “So, Joey is a friend of yours,” he began.

“Yep, ever since first grade. He’s so smart, Neal, like totally brilliant. If it wasn’t for him, I’d never figure out my math homework,” Bai admitted.

“Why is he in a wheelchair?” was Neal’s next question.

Bai did her best to explain. “He told me that when he was born there was something wrong with his spine. His legs can’t work at all, so he’s been in a wheelchair his whole life. And that means that he can’t go to a lot of places if they aren’t handicapped accessible. The big, strong butcher next door carries him and his wheelchair up and down the steps each day so that he can go to school. Our school has ramps, so he’s okay there, and I think he’s the most gifted genius in the whole place.”

“And I think you might like him a bit,” Neal teased.

Bai blushed. “He’s not really my boyfriend. My father says I’m too young to be thinking that way.”

“But you’re thinking that way just the same,” Neal could read her like a book.

Bai looked up at him trustingly. “Joey’s really nice and he makes those DVDs and keeps his streaming network in business to help out his family. His father died a long time ago, and his mother works long hours at a supermarket so his grandmother stays with him while she’s away. He says he doesn’t need a babysitter, but he does need somebody to be with him. I mean—what if a fire broke out and he was alone. He’d never make it out and up those steps to safety.”

“I think it says a lot about your character that you worry about your friend,” Neal said softly. “You are a very special young lady, Miss Bai, and Joey’s one lucky boy to have you in his life.”

Now the girl was blushing anew, and Neal felt a fondness fill his heart regarding this unsophisticated ingenue. Sometimes young infatuation was uncomplicated and beautifully pure.

~~~~~~~~~~

That night, Neal invited Mozzie over to watch the movie. After the end credits began to roll, Neal asked, “So, what did you think?”

Mozzie looked pensive as he sipped his glass of wine. “I never agree with the Academy of Motion Pictures when they bestow their capricious whims and crown what they deem superb cinematic excellence. The voting is never about true merit. Instead, it’s all about backstage politics or backstabbing, take your choice.”

“I know your personal taste is a bit more discerningly eclectic, Moz, but let’s forget about subject matter and talk about quality of the picture. Would you be surprised to know that I didn’t stream this? It was actually a local bootleg DVD knockoff that cost a mere $4.”

“I would say that it is a very good one, and you got an excellent deal on the cheap,” Mozzie admitted. “Who’s the forger?”

“A prepubescent 12 year-old boy whose voice hasn’t even started to deepen yet,” Neal deadpanned.

“Really?” Mozzie said in astonishment. “Then I would say that the little man has a bright future ahead of him.”

“Not if Peter finds him first,” Neal enlightened his friend. “The FBI has heard about an illegal enterprise down on the Lower East Side. Peter has convinced himself it is a nest of nasty villains connected to gangs and organized crime, and he’s determined to find and annihilate them before they manage to bring our country’s economy to its knees.”

“That sounds like a bit of hyperbole to me,” Mozzie sneered. “Are my hard-earned tax dollars being spent on a stupid witch hunt?”

“You don’t pay taxes, Moz,” Neal reminded his friend. “But, nonetheless, Peter has a whole different picture of the situation in his mind, and it’s quite overblown. He’s all set to bring a sledgehammer to the fight, but he doesn’t have a clue that a flyswatter is all he’d need to smack down a tiny gnat. We have to intervene because this kid is sort of cool and he grows on you, even after just one meeting.”

Mozzie sighed in resignation. “Just tell me what my part is in this mission of mercy, mon frère.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Mozzie had gotten into character for his role. Neal actually thought that the little bald man looked like a James Cagney wannabe when that old actor strutted around playing a gangster with an attitude. Moz had on a slicked-back dark toupee, and he wore a grey pinstriped suit complete with a purple pocket square and a garish diamond stick pin prominently displayed on his likewise purple silk tie.

“Do I look intimidating?” he asked Neal for an opinion.

“You look ….. well, sort of garish in a grim sort of way,” Neal finally found the words.

“I was going for an air of dapper menace as well as intriguing mystery,” Mozzie pouted.

“Yeah, I see that now,” Neal quickly agreed so they could move this venture along. “When you meet the boy, lay it on thick to get your message across, Moz, but not so heavy that you scare him to death,” he added.

“I’ve got this, Neal. Just relax,” Mozzie replied as he picked up his briefcase and headed for the door with the young con man wishing he could be a fly on the wall to see how it all played out.

Mozzie easily found the below street level red door and knocked loudly. A young Chinese woman finally opened it and peered up at him owlishly through her glasses, perhaps with a hint of fear in her gaze.

“I wish to speak with young Joey Chiu,” Mozzie said in perfect Mandarin as he put his foot squarely inside the threshold to prevent her from slamming the door in his face. The frightened lady hesitated for a second, then bowed to a greater force and reluctantly escorted her strange visitor to her son’s bedroom.

Mozzie moseyed over to the boy in a wheelchair and gave him an appraising stare. “So, you’re our competition. Somehow I thought you’d be a bit older.”

Joey gulped. “Competition?—Sir, I don’t think I understand.”

“We heard you make bootleg DVDs, isn’t that right?” Mozzie growled.

“Um, yes, maybe a few,” Joey fairly squeaked.

“And you’ve even branched out into streaming pirated material,” Mozzie added for good measure as he watched the kid blanch and go rigid.

“Well, let me tell you about the facts or life, young man. I represent a slightly larger consortium and we’ve just set up shop in Manhattan and plan to extend our like-minded business throughout the five boroughs. We intend to sell our product for a lot more than just $4 a pop or $20 a subscription, so you’d be undercutting us and that’s not a good thing in our business model. Do you see where this discussion is going, kiddo?”

“Maybe you want me to stop doing what I’m doing?” Joey ventured a cautious guess.

Mozzie smiled ghoulishly. “Well, aren’t you the smart one. You catch on fast. I hate to come down so hard on you, boy, but business is business. You get that, right?”

“Yeah, sure, I guess,” the scared kid agreed.

Mozzie’s expression suddenly looked sly and cunning. “But, we took a look at your stuff and it’s top drawer all the way. So that could mean there’s always the possibility down the road that you may find some other backers for your little one-man industry. We want to head that possibility off at the pass. Therefore, my partners and I are prepared to offer you a deal.”

“A deal?” Joey repeated like a mesmerized parrot.

Mozzie narrowed his eyes. “Yep, a onetime offer, sort of like a non-disclosure settlement where we purchase your technique and all exclusive rights to your product. In my briefcase is $30,000 untraceable cash. It’s all yours if you promise to cease and desist all your bootlegging and never breathe a word about our little transaction. If you give me your word that you’ll permanently retire from the game, I’m out of here leaving you and your family much richer than before I came.”

Joey’s mouth was hanging open, so Mozzie reached a finger under his chin and gently closed it. “Want to seal the deal with a handshake like gentlemen?”

The kid did manage a slight nod of his head, but Mozzie had to actually grab onto his hand to complete the transaction. “Have a good life, my friend,” he murmured as he moved through the corridor with a hovering mother following in his wake.

“I know that a red door means a house is lucky because it allows the chi to flow into the home,” Mozzie informed Joey’s mom in her own dialect just before he left. “I made sure that you and your son will have an abundance of good fortune, Mrs. Chiu, and my gift will enable you to find a better apartment to accommodate Joey’s needs. Make sure to paint that new door red as well.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Peter was getting antsy about the counterfeit DVDs and illegal streaming rumors. They hadn’t run down any leads nor had any fake copies turned up on the streets in the last few weeks. “Maybe somebody was feeling the heat and decided to pick up their marbles and go home,” Neal said nonchalantly.

“Maybe,” Peter waffled. “It’s just very strange that everything dried up after we started asking questions in Chinatown.”

Neal had to deflect Peter’s single mindedness. After a thoughtful pause, he asked an odd question. “What if some enterprising, progressive show runner decided to produce a television series about the White Collar division of the FBI? Do you think people would want to buy bootleg copies of various seasons that highlight all the crimes we solve?”

Peter pondered the idea for a minute. “Maybe if the star was an intelligent and staunchly dedicated Federal agent, it would have a certain appeal to enthusiasts of law and order dramas.”

Neal felt compelled to add his opinion. “Perhaps our big and bold hero would need a little help from a dashingly handsome and clever criminal standing right by his side. That would make it even more enticing,” he snickered.

The two men stared at each other for a minute before saying in tandem, “Nah, that whole premise would never fly!”


End file.
